ANS Nuclear Cafe

At the end of last month there was some press about the emissions from cargo ships as a threat to the environment, and in due course nuclear propulsion was brought up as a way to get around it.  It seems that every once in a while nuclear propulsion for cargo and/or passenger ships is revived, only to be forgotten again after a few superficial studies.  The plain fact seems to be that the economics of nuclear ships will not allow their wide spread until something external re-racks the whole economic model of shipping to allow this option to be considered.  That "something" is very likely to be penalty for emissions near shore, or for burning fossil fuel in ships in the first place - in other words, some form or another of carbon taxing applied specifically to open-ocean shipping.

This article is the fifth in a continuing series examining the delays in nuclear plant construction and increases in nuclear plant overall (project) cost during the large round of construction in the United States.  Previous installments are linked at the end of this article.

Welcome to 2019!  I hope everyone who took a break enjoyed it. For those who didn't, why didn't you?  Initially, I had thoughts of trying to separate from social media and news to a significant extent during the holidays but, after conversations with Linda Zec (our wonderful ANS staff liaison for the Social Media Team, among many other things) decided that it was impractical to do so for a variety of reasons.  So, as the holiday furor ebbed and flowed and I continued, still connected, to read news and year-end summations, I found myself wishing that there wouldn't be so much frustrating news in 2019.  That's why I decided to open my eighth calendar year writing for the ANS Nuclear Cafe with a wish list, or "listicle" in the inside jargon, if you prefer.  Here, in ascending order of importance (or, I suppose, increasing order of unlikelihood) are my five wishes for this new year in nuclear energy.  (All on one screen; no annoying "next" buttons.  You're welcome.)

The accident that occurred at Three Mile Island on March 28, 1979, brought about many changes to the nuclear industry. Among the changes was the industry stopping to reflect on current procedures and the training of its employees. Exhorted by the findings of the Kemeny Commission and sponsored by the Department of Energy, industry leaders and training personnel began meeting on improvements to training at the Gatlinburg Conference in the early 1980's.

RadioNuclear host Doug Hardtmayer interviews ANS member Dr. Christopher Morrison, an Astro-Nuclear Engineer with Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation. Dr. Morrison shares his story as well as some fascinating insights into how nuclear could shape the future of nuclear in space!

December 20, 1951 marks an important date in the history of nuclear power; it's the date on which the first useful electric power was generated by atomic fission.  While the now-famous event at that time only powered four light bulbs, the somewhat stunt-like nature of the day obscured the fact that the plant was actually set up to generate considerably more power, and did so.  Let's take a look at this fact and, at the same time, the facility through illustrations from my collection and from photographs that I took myself while touring EBR-1 earlier this year.

I was honored to participate in a panel session on November 14, 2018, at the American Nuclear Society's Winter Meeting in Orlando, Florida. The title of the session was "Underway on Nuclear Power: A Retrospective," focusing on the importance to nuclear power of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover and Vice Admiral Eugene P. "Dennis" Wilkinson.

Shippingport Atomic Power Station as pictured in original press package; photo PR-19109

December 1957 would prove to be a month of firsts for the Shippingport Atomic Power Station; the plant had only recently been completed, and its new and novel reactor had only just achieved its first criticality on December 2nd.  These were pioneering days, though - after all, the plant project had only been authorized in July 1953, some four and a half years earlier, give or take.  Groundbreaking for the plant, after a selection process to decide who would partner with the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in the project happened on land provided by Duquesne Light Company in September 1954 with real construction work starting in March, 1955.  Thus, the plant had been constructed in about two and a half years.  In that spirit, operating the plant to see what it could do wouldn't wait for a battery of tests.

ANS member Dr. Christopher Morrison was a recent guest on The Space Show. Dr. Morrison covered space radiation, lifetime radiation limitations, legal limits, rodent GCR and radiation experimentation, terrestrial radiation simulations, space nuclear power & propulsion, super-cooling conductivity.

Washington Public Power Supply System Project 3, located at Satsop, Washington. Many utilities significantly overestimated future demand and over-ordered plants; this plant, designed by EBASCO, was one example. It was never completed.

At this fourth installment of the series on the "First Nuclear Era" build of nuclear plants in the United States, it might be worthwhile to pause a moment and reflect upon the findings so far:

Albert Einstein is one of the most well-known physicists throughout history. Among other things, he is also known for formulating the world-famous equation E=mc², the equation that relates that energy and mass as not separate, but rather a single entity. This equation opened doors to numerous scientific advances.

A political seismic shift occurred this week - and I am not talking about the mid-term election.  The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released a report Thursday acknowledging nuclear power's important role in reducing carbon emissions.

The start of Marie Curie's story isn't like most of the other scientists that  had made a name for themselves throughout history, mostly because she was a grown woman by the start of the 20^th century. But she was the first woman to do a lot of things, including getting a Ph.D. from a university in France, and winning a Nobel Prize. She was also the first person ever to win a Nobel Prize in two different fields of science. To say she pushed the societal and scientific boundaries of her era is an understatement.

As a fourth year nursing student working in Chicago area hospitals, I deal with nuclear medicine quite often. The term "nuclear medicine" can sound disconcerting, but when you are familiar with it, I assure you, it's not. Just think of it as a bunch of necessary medical tools with a little radiation thrown in. I know what you are thinking. Radiation? What? Relax. It's fine. You already know it, and either you, or someone you know, has been exposed to this specific area of medicine via certain procedures.

Reactor vessel delivered to Calvert Cliffs; from brochure in Will Davis collection.

The year 1971 saw a continuation of the general trend of rising capital costs for all types of power plants, described by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in its publication for 1971 as having "risen rather rapidly."  According to the AEC, the aggregate major causes for the increases in costs specific to nuclear electric power plants were as follows, with author's analysis accompanying each:

This week's matinee is a half hour long feature presentation entitled "Pioneering with Power," and is the story of the construction of one of America's earliest commercial nuclear power stations.  Remarkable views, unobtainable virtually anywhere else, are given of the entire process of the layout and construction of this historic power station.

https://vimeo.com/295607537

Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: Supporting life where it matters most.

Did you know that nuclear technology has been used in space almost since the beginning of human exploration in space?  That's right - nuclear energy has been used to power science experiments, satellites, and space probes.  It may even be used someday to propel vessels with people on board to other planets.  Let's take a look at three basic kinds of nuclear space technology!

This week is National Nuclear Science Week - an exciting week of learning, teaching and interacting on all things nuclear-related.  (You can read about the history of National Nuclear Science Week, or NNSW, by following this link.)